A routine development variance permit application prompted extended discussion at Kitimat council, after questions were raised about why it had not been referred to the Advisory Planning Commission for input. Councillor Gerry Liebel questioned why the request—submitted by Brittany Wever for the property at 240 Chinook Ave.—was being handled solely by staff and council, instead of being forwarded to the commission for recommendations.
Kitimat's director of planning explained that the matter had previously been raised at an APC meeting. It was agreed that many smaller applications were unnecessarily burdening the "fatigued" commission with minor review tasks. As a result, district staff were directed to manage less consequential applications, while council and the commission focused on more significant matters.
Although the referral process was not followed in this case, the director noted that staff are still required to bring consideration reports to council unless otherwise directed through formal policy changes.
In this instance, the property is surrounded on three sides by Crown land, with one neighbouring property to the south, buffered by dense stands of trees. The proposed greenhouse would be constructed in the opposite corner of the lot, with no expected impact on neighbouring properties. Based on that, staff determined that a referral to the commission was unnecessary and not an efficient use of time.
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